[SA Chris]

If anyone was thinking of a trip up to Scotland this winter, i would say this week coming would be a good choice.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Glenshee/6day/mid

been snowing in the hills on and off since Saturday.

[Adam Lincoln]

New Brain Farm movie looks ridiculous

http://artofflightmovie.com/#ooid=VnbGox

Indeed! 

[Norton Sharley]

 

50:50 on a tow wire    Not to mention all the other crazy riding.

It's on the Christmas list already.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I've always rated BMC insurance but just tried to book a week snowboarding insurance with them and they charge double the ski rate for boarders! Outrageous, there's no way boarding is more dangerous than skiing.  £52.50 for skiing, £105 for boarders!

Snowcard has gone up lots as well. Any other recommendations with off-piste cover?

[Norton Sharley]

Use standard travel insurance to get you home and buy a carte neige in France to get you off the hill.

Otherwise have you tried Dogtag?

[Davey_C]

If anyone was thinking of a trip up to Scotland this winter, i would say this week coming would be a good choice.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Glenshee/6day/mid

been snowing in the hills on and off since Saturday.

Or now might be an even better time. The photos on the home page of the Cairngorm website looking amazing. I think I'm going to try and sort out a trip for next Friday......hopefully the weather won't be too mild between now and then.

[SA Chris]

Yup, has been an unholy dumping.

http://www.winterhighland.info/general/

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Cairngorm/6day/mid

Seems to indicate FL going above summits next week, so need to wait and see. I wouldn't take it as gospel though. And might just be a mini thaw to get things to consolidate with any luck.

Going to try get up one day of the weekend at least, and maybe midweek next week.

[Fultonius]

Really annoyed at the forecast - on Monday it didn't look like today would be all that good, but it's proper bluebird up glencoe. Going to head up tonight after work for a wee moonlit tour but it won't quite be the same as lapping it in daylight :-(

Oh well, c'est la vie!

[SA Chris]

Aye, cams show it lookign excellent.

I texted Scott B asking what he was up to, and he was sitting on his ass at home. Sent him link to cams and he was out the door in 5 mins. Life off an offshore worker eh.

[Fultonius]

Just nipped home, got my skis and a quick scran - 3 1/2 more hours and I'll be on the way to Glencoe!

I can't believe he's off and wasn't up there for first lifts...

[SA Chris]

That's what I told him. Well along those lines anyway, the word fucknut was also used.

[Fultonius]

Made it up to Glencoe about 6pm - kinda gutting driving up past perfect snowy slopes and blue sky knowing it would be getting dark by the time we got there, but it was definitely worth it.

Managed to get a run down Spring Run, back to the top and all the way down Rannoch Etive Glades past the access chair and on down to the bottom. Getting a bit scraped with rocks poking through in the last 200m - a bit of combat skiing. We bottled out of doing a moonlit lap of the Flypaper!

Probably better snow than we got all week in Les Deux Alpes last week!

[SA Chris]

When were you in Les Deux Alpes

Nice one for getting out. Why did you drive to Glencoe then, did you not have touring kit?

[Fultonius]

I was out last week, stayed at the place my sister is running this year - good criac, sunny every day and got about 20 turns on relatively fresh powder after a 2 minute hike - not much, but enough to dull the powder cravings!

Boarded for the first 3 days, getting my carving back up to speed and just generally balsting about the place. I had banned myslef from hitting the park on this holiday...buuuut...was out riding with one of the chalet staff who fancied a run through, so I the set of 3 x 10 metre-ish kickers (i.e. the small side of the main run) as they looked so well built and easy, just straight airs but felt nice to get some airtmie. Then did a few laps of the poma-kickers - one of which is 8m and the other much bigger (didn't hit the big one) and a lap on the 4 m baby kickers which were nice for spins - sneaked in a wee fs360, not sure if I'd have got many style points but landed it solid 

Oh, a bit back On Topic: how come so few snowboarders seem to know how to carve or bother doing it?    I'd say 95% of people just smear their way down the slope. Carving up the groomers is one of the few things that keeps me sane when there's no powder (that and the park). It's cool when you look back up and there's a 1" wide ribbon snaking its way back up the run! 

Edited to say: We didn't stop sooner as the snowline wass a bit too high/too much walking and also we'd still have ended up doing most of the skiing in the dark. It's plenty bright enough with a headtorch and moonlight anyway. 

[SA Chris]

I was out last week

You missed the smiley, I was amused at

better snow than we got all week in Les Deux Alpes last week!

I hate seeing people grinding turns, just looks so ugly. Nothing like a well executed carve in groomed fresh snow.

I've got a proper carving / race board which a guy gave me in Colorado, so much fun in the right conditions.

[Fultonius]

I saw the smiley but didn't quite get it!

You've got what kind of board?

[walks away, shaking his head...] 

[SA Chris]

Don't knock it until you've tried it. If you like carving you would love it.

Do you not think this looks like a bit of fun?



It generally only sees one morning out in the average week though. Needs to be on groomers the day after a good dump of snow.

[Fultonius]

Can you not go faster, carve harder, and not look like a crazy European hard boot loser by just taking out the skis??? 

[SA Chris]

In a word, no.

[Fultonius]

 

This:

In a word, no.

Just wasted the last hour reading about carving on skis, boards and carving boards...

[chummer]

Planning on a quick hit to Chamonix at the begining of April, taking advantage of peoples floor space but having only boarded there early March before I was wondering if it maybe a bit of a risk snow wise. I remember the Valley Blanche was getting a little thin even then...has anyone been out there this late and if so what was the on and off piste like?

[lagerstarfish]

In '95 and '96 I stayed in the Chamonix valley well after the lifts stopped running - till the end of May. There's always something worth doing.

April is a good time to take advantage of spring snow. Climb up it when it's frozen hard, have a nice, long lunch on top of your chosen mountain/couloir while the sun does its work and then carve your way down the just-softened-enough-creamy-grippy-on-a-firm-base snow that has been created for you.

Every now and then the sun will let you down and you'll have to deal with 3000' of descent's worth of boiler plate, but it'll be character building and your core will feel well worked (and happy to still be alive)

Higher up stuff (over 3000m) can still hold great snow.

Or you could just have a lie in every day and catch the pistes just as they get nice and carvey; progressing on to slush smearing later on. Usually the south facing stuff is more reliable for this - Fleger and Brevant. The Montets can be unpleasant at this time of year unless it has fresh snow - even then it can be laid over some nasty moguls off the piste.

Sometimes it is worth riding Brevant/Fleger until it gets too poridgey and then heading over to The Montets for last orders

I'll gush on about it later

If you're into walking/climbing for your turns I can give you some ideas

[lagerstarfish]

I've got a proper carving / race board

I have a skinny asymmetrical Nidecker euro racing hard-boots-for-hard-men thing set at 40/48 with a significant cant on the back binding. Very difficult not to look like a bandy legged prick at speeds of less than 30mph. I do not have a skin tight racing suit.

It's like being on a motorbike on rails. That sensation of acceleration is hard to beat. It's on a par with the floaty/flying feeling of steep deep powder, but with the "lucky bastard" part of the powder experience being replaced by a "this is me that's doing this" component.

My carving skills with soft bindings seem to be fading as I get older. I find this very distressing.

[lagerstarfish]

early March ... the Valley Blanche was getting a little thin even then...

More likely that it hadn't had enough snow to fill in the slots by that time of year.

Later in the season is usually better

[SA Chris]

By all accounts the Alps have had a shocker for snow. No "significant" falls since just before New Year. I think that temps have stayed fairly low, and anything fresh has been pisted in, but I think off-piste has been fairly pants, and I'm pretty sure there hasn't been enough to fill in the slots in glaciers etc. This info comes from a friend based in Les Arcs, but AFAIK the situation is similar across the French Alps. Things could all change though, snowfall going mental late season is not unheard of, but I would take climbing kit just in case.